Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Tattnall, Josiah (1794-1871) to the Commanding Officer of the Boston recruiting station

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02460.15 Author/Creator: Tattnall, Josiah (1794-1871) Place Written: New London, Connecticut Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 18 August 1836 Pagination: 1 p. : docket ; 24.5 x 20 cm. Order a Copy

Discusses Benjamin Harris' appointment as a "Seaman for the South Sea Surveying and exploring expedition." Requests that Harris be paid for "three months ... when he appears on board the receiving ship." States that he received orders regarding Harris from Captain Catesby Jones.

Tattnall was an active seaman in the War of 1812, the Mexican, and Civil Wars. In 1836, Tattnall was ordered to recruit men for Captain Thomas ap Catesby Jones' surveying expedition. Commissioned by Congress, the expedition transformed into the 1838-1840 "Great United States Exploring Expedition," investigating the Pacific Northwest and islands of the South Pacific.
Thomas ap Catesby Jones served as an officer in the United States Navy from 1805-1842. Jones is most noted for his 1842 attempted seizure of California, after which he was publicly censured and recalled from his command of the Pacific Fleet.

Tattnall, Josiah, 1795-1871
Jones, Thomas Ap Catesby, 1790-1858
Harris, Benjamin, fl. 1836

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